She is the first to go abroad. Femke Oomen, one of the TCW-students who is doing a practice-minor this year. She hopes to achieve her 'paradigm-shift' at the faculty of T&M, where she is taking the minor international management at the Technology and Development Group (TDG).
This minor consists of a management assignment in a non-western country, of ten credits, and, as support, a carefully balanced mixture of theoretical courses, of eleven credits. Oomen studied international business, considered cultural differences, and reflected on her point of departure.
A hefty course of 21 credits therefore, albeit just a pilot. The UT decided over a year ago that EL- and TCW-students would already start major-minor. But by now bachelor-master has thrown everything into disarray. Minor and major have to be squeezed into a three-year bachelor. The result is known: the minors are reduced to 14 points.
And this will end the foreign adventure, according to dr.ir. Sirp de Boer, co-ordinator of the minor. 'Far too tight', the TDG-man thinks. 'You could perhaps cut something from the theoretical part, but the foreign assignment can absolutely not be reduced. Then it is a holiday.'
According to De Boer experience teaches that quality takes time in these cases. 'To be able to offer the client something good, the student must not feel rushed. He has to build something in an alien environment. That means, besides a good preparation, a four months stay on location.'
So Femke Oomen and her fellow-students are also the last? 'Probably', says De Boer. 'It is a pity.' Future students will think that too. The pilot shows that international management is by far the most popular minor. Of the 67 test-students 18 chose the TDG-minor.
